Hipatia Cruceta
	Hipatia with Dr. Swati Dave-Sharma, who is showing her how much sugar is in a bottle of soda.

Whenever Soundview teenager Hipatia Cruceta wanted a snack, she reached for three bags of Jolly Ranchers, a pack of Now & Laters and several mouthfuls of Sugar Daddies. By her own account, she did this at least three times a day.

“I used to eat so much candy that when I went to sleep I got headaches, and felt dizzy,” said the 19-year old. That was a year ago. Today, the Bronx teen says her snacks of choice are apples, bananas – any fruit or vegetable.

“I also learned about portion control,” she said, holding up a fist to show how much rice she now eats at dinner. “The only thing I have trouble with is water, so I just add Crystal Light.” Those changes in her diet and the introduction of exercise, mostly walking and lots of dancing, she said, have helped the young Dominican-American woman shed 31 pounds.

“I have more energy now, and my clothes fit better,” the 5-foot-8 teenager said, smiling.

Hipatia is one of hundreds of young patients who are part of Lincoln Hospital Center’s Pediatric Obesity Program, which is ground zero in the fight against obesity in children and teenagers in New York City.

“If in a week, I see a patient lose one pound or feel motivated, I count that as a success,” said Dr. Swati Dave-Sharma, clinic director and pediatric endocrinologist. Dr. Dave-Sharma’s team includes nutritionists, obesity health educators, dieticians and nurses.

The clinic teaches nutrition, healthy cooking, the culture of food, and portion control.  Participants get tips on how to integrate exercise into their daily routines and a monthly Fit and Fun Program teaches the young people yoga, Pilates, tae kwon doe, dancing and other fun exercises that they can do at home.

Dr. Dave-Sharma said patients and families leave the clinic knowing the 5-2-1-0 rule: five vegetables or fruits a day, no more than two hours of television or video games, one hour of exercise and zero sugary foods or drinks.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the nation, with some regions being hit harder than others. A study by the New York City Department of Health last year found that 40 percent of city children are overweight or obese. A great number of these kids are African American and Latino and live in the South Bronx.

“It’s alarming,” Dr. Dave-Sharma said of the trend. “I have patients as young as 2 who are obese, and as young as 8 with Type 2 Diabetes. As a medical professional you feel you have to do something to help these kids.”

If these trends continue it may prove disastrous. Children who are obese have a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, asthma, cancer and many more diseases.

“For the first time in history this generation is expected to have a lower life expectancy than their parents,” Dr. Dave-Sharma said. “It took us a generation to get to where we are today. It’s going to take time to get us out, but our program and the renewed national attention to the epidemic is a great first step.”

October 2010